Thursday, September 23, 2010

Apparently fall has started. Of course in Atlanta fall doesn't ever actually start when it's supposed so as an area we just sort of make it work. We mix summer and fall clothes and call it good. We wear leggings with tank tops and boots with t-shirts. Like today where I have on boots that would be fine if I lived in NYC or Boston where it's actually cooler and fall-like, but with temperatures hitting 90+ degrees today I feel sorta silly wearing them. But they looked best with the skinny pants that I wanted to wear to work, so boots it is.

I've had one of those "smack you in the back of the head with at 2x4" sort of past 12-24 hours when it comes to figuring out my life. Champ and I spent the evening yesterday with a good friend of Champ's (and mine now) Tom. Tom is easily my walking example for doing what you love and ignoring the nay-sayers.

First, it's important to point out that Tom's brilliant and comes from money, but he's got a good head on his shoulders. He was slated to be uber successful anyway, but he chose his own path, which is really what makes it so damn inspiring.

But that whole college? Successful business life? Tom didn't want that. So two or three years into college he dropped out and moved to the Caribbean to sail boats. Seriously. To sail boats.

He started bar tending and met people and eventually started working on a boat that catered to the tourists who ported with the big cruise ships in St. Thomas (where he lived). In the evenings he was going to school to get his Captin's license and eventually moved up the ranks.

We chatted with him last night about what's next. He's currently working on a yacht that gets chartered throughout the year when the owner isn't using it. He works from waking to sleeping and has no home on land, but makes more money than Champ and I probably do combined. He loves every waking moment of his life.

And he's a success. Hair bleached blond grown out, a permanent tan and stories of diving, boating and traveling to places that I dream of visiting. It's...a dream life.

(not a recent photo)

But more importantly? Tom found something he loved and he did it. He misses his friends, that much I can tell. He adores Champ and considers him a brother, even if we've only seen him twice in three years. He always calls at Thanksgiving to talk to Champ. It's a thing.

Follow that up with this post from Erin at Design for Mankind (one of my favorite blogs/bloggers btw) about her trip to Might Summit, which just sounds amazing.

And I realize? What am I do with my life? What do I want to do with it?

I have no good idea. I want to write, but I don't know where to start. (I have a degree in Aerospace Engineering for God's sake). I want to create things, but I don't want to completely walk away from Math. From airplanes. To be honest? I think I'm at a crossroads and I have no idea where anything is taking me or where to even start.

So this fall? That's my goal. I'm going to put together that life list even though I don't know if there's much left on it. I'm going to really truly think about what's next for me. I can't keep treading water. It's starting to get boring.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I'm a huge flickr person. I love that website. Most of my photos go there because it's easier to share and then easier to use to host for photos I put up here on my blog.

Not too long ago they aligned it with picnik to edit photos. This was a god-send for me because I'm always cropping down my photos of layouts for posting.

Tonight boredom struck in the worst sort of ways. I was feeling creative, but had no urge to write (trying to work on that novel) or to actually make the ATC cards I'd started after I let my kitty play with the piece I needed and saw to it that I'd have to cut up more frames for my cards.

Photo editing to the rescue! I needed some new icons for a character in one of my games so I opened that photo up and started actually looking at the other tabs in picnik that weren't "crop", "resize" and "sharpen".

Lo and behold I found some fun stuff that you can use on the site for free (more if you pay to use it). So check out what I made:

I used the "cross exposure" on this one and then messed around with the "teeth whitener" touch up (might have gone a little overboard as I did that part after the over exposure). But great huh?

Used that cross exposure again this time with a focal blur as well. Love the way this looks.

Started with an orten effect, then added in the cross exposure and some softness.

Easy huh? I just messed around and now I want to mess around with wedding photos too. Maybe later...

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

I think I've said it before, but I am a giant geek. I love all things geeky and in 27 years I've finally come to grips with that. I'm okay with dressing up for a convention. Hell, I'm okay with attending said convention. Last year I went for fan-girl purposes, and this year I went to have fun. My friends were there, Jacki, her sister Jessi, Cressie and Gina. Plus I made new friends while I was there.

So for the first post, we'll focus on the friends.

Cressie! Dressed as Kaylee from Firefly (the best show you didn't watch. I recommend the netflix if you aren't watching it yet).

Jacki and Jessi as Pam and Sookie from True Blood.

Jacki and Jessi again as Steampunk Alice in Wonderland. Jacki (on the left) is the Cheshire Cat and Jessi is the Mad Hatter.

Cressie on the right in one of her other costumes, this time dressed as Innara from Firefly (again...why aren't you watching it yet?). She won the Whedonverse Costume Contest!!

There's me in the mix on the right. I got asked my most of my friends who I was cosplaying in that outfit, but I kept reassuring them it was just Rocket Girl, my internet persona (so in a sense...me)

Waiting in line for the True Blood Panel with Gina. Here I've got my hat with ears and the Triforce logo (a Legends of Zelda reference).

I've got tons to show off this week so get your google reader in gear.

I'll start off my Tuesday with some layouts, even though I know everyone is itching for Dragon Con photos (those will come later!)

I was a little wary about the August Commit2Paper kit, but more because I've had mojo issues lately and not because it's a bad kit. Turns our that whatever mojo I'd lost? I found it again.

The colors lend great to a set of photos from a Fourth of July parade, and the stars were just too much fun to cut out with the Slice.

For this layout I used the sketch provided from Color Combos Galore though not the color combo itself.

I've been busy working with these older photos (this one using photos from freshman year in high school), which is good. I never scrapbook anything in order, which to me makes it more fun. I actually looked back through one of my albums the other day that was full of different themes and papers and I just really love the way it looks.

Gotta toss in that love layout whenever I can. Plus it's just fun to play with wedding photos.